Dallas Headhunters Must Provide An Objective And Thorough Search

Today many companies choose to select and hire a headhunter, also know as an executive search firm or executive recruiter, to assist them in filling one-of-a-kind or key management/executive level positions. During this process the headhunter will learn a lot about the client company, and it is expected to honor any confidences it learns during the course of the engagement. In particular, the client company will not want the headhunter to attempt to recruit its people to work for the headhunters’ other clients.

Off Limits Policies

To prevent this from happening off limits policies are created and agreed to by both parties. This assures that the headhunter will not attempt to recruit people from the client company during the course of the assignment and for a designated period after the assignment is finished. There is no doubt that these off limits policies are required and should be respected.

The Challenge

The challenges become how these off limits policies are enforced and how they impact the headhunter’s ability to serve its new client. As a result, before a company selects a headhunter, it should ask the firm about its off limits policy, including questions about how long the off limits policy lasts and if it effects the entire company or only a division or geographical area.

The new client must also consider the impact of this off limits policy in relation to its search needs. Large executive search firms may have a few hundred (or even thousand) clients and if the firm has off limits agreements with most of these clients, will the firm really be able to provide a thorough, objective search of the marketplace?

Ironically, even one of the leaders of a large executive search firm admits: “The single biggest operational issue we have is the off limits issue, because it prevents us from going after a lot of the best and the brightest. The more business we get, the more talent is blocked for us. ”

Forbes magazine in a recent article cautioned: “The largest recruitment firms are handicapped in doing the very job for which they are hired. ”

What About Smaller Specialized Search Firms?

Off limits policies may also impact smaller executive search firms that specialize in a particular industry or functional area. These firms often have so many clients in their particular discipline or practice area that they too are blocked from providing new clients with a thorough and objective search of the marketplace.

Conclusion

Since most companies do not make key management level or one-of-a-kind hires frequently, it is that much more important to make sure their headhunter, recruiter or executive search firm is able to perform an objective and thorough search of the marketplace. Companies should not have limited options because the headhunter cannot approach one or more target companies in the marketplace.

About the Author

Carl Taylor is the president of Carl J. Taylor & Co., an executive search firm based in Dallas. For over 20 years, the firm has successfully completed challenging search assignments for clients of all sizes in Texas and around the country. For more information about this or other executive search related topics, please call Carl Taylor at (972) 490-7697 or email him at ctaylor@carltaylorco.com. The company website is www.carltaylorco.com.

Contact Information

Carl Taylor

President

Carl J. Taylor & Co.

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